Do the Creeds Still Matter?

Running Away From My Church Blog ^ | 1/19/2018 | Robert Messner

[tiredofallofit]

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light...

Do these words sound familiar? I hope they do. These words, which have been recited in liturgy, at church councils, in battles, and at dinner tables in hundreds of languages, echo to us today through nearly 17 centuries of continual use. This creed is what has united the church (except perhaps in 1054 when it greatly divided the church) and has helped to defend it against all manner of heresies and attacks.

Sadly, I had never heard of this creed until I was in my late 20’s. In the church I grew up in, creeds were never recited; they were considered to be extra-Biblical and therefore highly suspect. Or maybe people just didn’t know about them. Prayer in our church was usually a long drawn out speech of varying eloquence depending on who was delivering it. Prayer was supposed to be spontaneous and elevated, not scripted and repetitious. To have recited a creed would have meant introducing a form of liturgy into our midst which would have taken us “dangerously” close to Catholicism. After all, the word “catholic” is contained in the creed, right? More on that another time.

And so I missed out on this beautiful tradition which if one looks at closely, is derived directly from Scripture. I believe that this creed, which is only outdated by the Apostles Creed (another creed that I never heard when I was young) should be front and center in every church. It should be inscribed on walls and memorized in Sunday School.

[Zuriel]

**People would be better off memorizing Scripture than creeds.**

That’s a big 10-4

“Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Ps. 119:11

[tellw]

The Athanasian Creed is as much a canticle than a creed. It was written in Latin in the meter of a psalm. It’s also doubtful St. Athanasius wrote it although it expresses his Trinitarianism. It deserves to be better known even if rarely recited.